Man charged in case of alleged confinement of Nova Scotia teen gets bail

BRIDGEWATER, N.S. - A 63-year-old Halifax man accused in a bizarre case involving the alleged confinement of a 16-year-old boy was released on $1,000 bail Thursday.

John Leonard MacKean is charged with sexual assault and communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual services from a person under 18.

MacKean was released on a number of conditions, including orders to stay away from anyone under 18 and refrain from using the Internet. He must also stay in contact with authorities and is prohibited from leaving Nova Scotia unless his work requires him to do so.

Police launched an investigation in September after a woman in Upper Chelsea, N.S., about 130 kilometres southwest of Halifax, reported that a barefoot teen showed up at her doorstep chained at his wrists and ankles.

David James Leblanc was later arrested on a logging road in northern Ontario after police received a report of a man wandering without shoes in near-freezing temperatures.

Police were also looking for 31-year-old Wayne Alan Cunningham, whose body was found near the area where Leblanc was arrested. Foul play was not suspected in his death.

Leblanc faces seven charges, including sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement and administering a noxious substance with intent to cause bodily harm. He is in custody and due to return to Bridgewater provincial court Dec. 19.

MacKean’s case is scheduled to return to court in Bridgewater on Jan. 23.

(CKBW, The Canadian Press)

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said in the headline that the suspect was the third to be charged in the case.